I've seen some daft films and some hilariously funny films, but this has to be the only film I've seen that manages to wring so much out of such unpromising material as Page 5 of the 1930s London telephone directory...
It starts off as slightly twee, but rapidly becomes utterly (and quite deliberately) ridiculous, ascending at times to pure inspirational lunacy, and climaxing in a grand choreographed musical finale featuring all the characters and the middle-aged Fairy herself as soprano soloist. If you have ever needed to know how to use the telephone in 1930s England, this is the manual to tell you everything you want to know... whether you be a young man impersonating a parlour-maid, a small boy with a mouth full of chocolate, or a mad professor with dusty lab habits. It starts off with the basics -- there are three parties to a call, the Caller, the Exchange, and the Remote Subscriber -- and continues straight-faced from there while the on-screen situations depicted become sillier and sillier. I don't know who played the (sadly uncredited) cast of characters, ranging from the matinée idol to the imperious grandmother and obnoxious child, but the quality of acting displayed is impressive by any standard and very entertaining. The trilling chorus of singing telephone operators at the exchange aren't bad either!
This obscure Post Office documentary was the unexpected highlight of January's studio screenings at the National Film Theatre, and still features prominently and deservedly in the list of recommendations for viewing via the BFI's Mediatheque system.
